The disclosed subject matter relates to methods and apparatus for overriding a powered vehicle door. More particularly, the disclosed subject matter relates to methods and apparatus that override powered mechanisms, such as motors, that move or actuate vehicle doors between open and closed (or latched and unlatched) positions to permit manual door actuation.
Many types of vehicles, such as those that travel on land, through water, by air, etc. define doors for various purposes, such as to allow ingress and egress of vehicle occupants, loading or unloading of cargo, etc. Some such vehicles include a single door, while others may include multiple doors. Exterior doors can be configured to be opened and closed so that when they are opened, an occupant can enter and exit the vehicle (or cargo can be loaded/unloaded), while when they are closed, the occupant (or cargo) is confined within the vehicle. Interior doors can be used to define discrete spaces within the vehicles, such as in the case of doors that define restrooms, vehicle operator compartments, storage compartments, etc., of trains, boats, airplanes, etc.
Many exterior and interior doors involve at least two discrete operations. For example, the doors are movable between a fully open position and a closed position (or a position adjacent the closed position). The doors can also be actuated from their closed position (or adjacent the closed position) to a latched condition that, to some extent, impedes opening of the door. This latched condition can reduce, impede or prevent the door from unintentionally opening under various conditions, such as during vehicle movement.